Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Air Force's Rockwell B-1B Lancer is slated for replacement by the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider later this decade. Despite this, significant investments have been made to enhance the aging bomber's capabilities, including internal bomb bay modifications and the reactivation of external pylons.
-Recently, a B-1B was spotted carrying the new GBU-72/B 5,000-pound "Bunker Buster" bomb, showcasing its potential to target deeply buried structures.
-This move likely aims to signal to adversaries like Iran the continued potency and adaptability of the B-1B even as it approaches the end of its service life.
The Rockwell B-1B Lancer's days are numbered. The aging Cold War-era U.S. Air Force bomber will be replaced as the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider begins to enter service later this decade. However, the Air Force has invested millions of dollars to keep the old workhorses flying, while also enhancing the B-1B's capabilities.
Upgrades include modifications to some of the bombers' internal bomb bays, as well as a rethink of external pylons that were designed to carry air-launched cruise missiles but were inactivated as part of the START treaty.
Since Russia withdrew from that agreement, the Air Force has started to look at how the B-1B might use the pylons again. In recent years, the Air Force has conducted tests with the Boeing-designed Load Adaptable Modular, which could be employed on all six of the bomber's hardpoints.
That could greatly enhance the capabilities of the BONE (B-One, as it is known).
A variety of ordnance has been tested with the B-1B, including some munitions that might seem unexpected. The Aviationist reported that a B-1B Lancer was spotted by an aircraft photographer who snapped a photo of the bomber carrying the new GBU-72/B 5,000-pound "Bunker Buster" bomb.
"On March 19th, 2024 I was shooting aircraft and reptiles in the Mojave desert, just north of Owens Lake and heard some chatter on my scanner about 'Torch' flying in the area,” Ian Recchio (@lookunderocks on Instagram) told TheAviationist via email. “It is not uncommon to see the Edwards B-1 flying in this area. On this day, although I could not confirm definitively it was the Edwards B-1, it appeared while refueling on a KC-135 which is not so common to see, so of course I fired off a few frames. Both aircraft continued to circle the area for about 2 hours, and I took a few more opportunities to captures image.,"
The photos have been shared on X.
The GBU-72/B Advanced 5000-pound Penetrator is a glide bomb that can be released from an aircraft like the B-1B. It then glides to a target, its tail fins making any final corrections as it descends. As Interesting Engineering reported, "The greater the altitude at which the bomb is released, the farther it can glide towards its target."
The Penetrator was designed to target deeply buried hardened structures and can be carried by both fighters and bombers. The bunker-buster ordnance was first tested in 2021 with an F-15E Strike Eagle at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
The Air Force doesn’t seem overly concerned about the GBU-72/B being spotted on the B-1B over the remote Mojave Desert. In fact, it may have counted on it.
According to Popular Mechanics, there could be a good reason – the Air Force might want to send a message to America's enemies, notably Iran.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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